At 6990 Giles Hill Road, the first building most visitors pass is a farmhouse, not a trail kiosk. The Williamson Herald reported that Peacock Hill Nature Park's visitor center is a renovated 1850s farmhouse, once known as the McCall House at Peacock Hill. Rangers also run programs out of a 19th-century one-room log cabin on the property.
That's why the park makes the most sense this month. Most people think of Peacock Hill as about five miles of hilltop trail. Williamson County Parks & Recreation has filled November with programs that use the old buildings, the old farm and the dark early evenings. If you live a few minutes away, it reads more like a weekly schedule than a once-a-season hike.
A Farm, Then an Inn, Then a County Park
The programs fit because of where the park came from. According to The Land Trust for Tennessee, four generations of the Ogilvie family were connected to the property. Their parents farmed it and raised cattle there, then ran Peacock Hill Country Inn and kept up trails for guests. The family placed a conservation easement on the land and gave the property to Williamson County, though the two accounts date those steps differently. The Land Trust dates the easement to 2018. The Herald's account puts the donation in 2017.
Some of what the family left is still there. The Land Trust points to the Prayer Chapel as a family landmark with a view. Chapel, Ogilvie and Hogg Hill all appear as trail names on the county's updated park map. When the park opened, the Herald described two ponds, three hilltops, overlooks, the chapel and one hill topping out at 1,180 feet.
So when a ranger teaches log cabin construction or roasts apples over a fire, the subject is this property's own past.
The November Schedule, Built Around Those Buildings
Here's the Peacock Hill section of the county's Nature Parks Programs page for November.
| Date | Time | Program | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 4, 11, 18, 25 | 9:00 a.m. | Toddlers, Tales & Trails | Short hike and outdoor story time; register children only, parents stay with the group |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | 1:00 p.m. | A Taste of History: Fire Baked Apples | $5; pre-registration required |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | 6:00 p.m. | Night Hike | Pre-registration required; bring a flashlight or headlamp |
| Sat., Nov. 14 and 21 | 1:00 p.m. | History of Log Structures in Mid TN | Held in the one-room cabin |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | 10:00 a.m. | Day After Thanksgiving Hike | On the trails; bring water |
Every program on the list depends on the setting. The log structures session meets in the cabin itself. It covers how cabins came to the Tennessee frontier and how a typical family added to its cabin and outbuildings as the homestead grew, along with the historical items in the cabin exhibit. At the fire-baked apple program, each participant prepares an apple and then hears some local history while it bakes. The night hike goes out after dark with a ranger to see and hear which animals are moving.
The Toddlers, Tales & Trails mornings tie in with another feature. The park's Storybook Trail has child-height panels telling Jennifer Ward's The Busy Tree, paid for with a grant from the Governor's Early Literacy Foundation and the Williamson County Public Library Foundation.
The calendar on that page ends with the November 27 hike. No December dates have been posted for Peacock Hill yet, so check the page again after Thanksgiving.
Which Trails Are Open, and the Saddle Ridge Question
You can hike without a ranger any day the park is open. The updated map the county posted in February 2026 names seven trails.
- Chapel
- Grackle Hill
- Hogg Hill
- Ogilvie
- Pond Loop
- Storybook
- Saddle Ridge
The county map doesn't give lengths for each segment. AllTrails estimates the Chapel Trail Loop at 2.4 miles with 354 feet of climbing, rates it easy, and notes roots and a few steep stretches. It puts the Ogilvie and Hogg Hill Loop at 2.0 miles and 331 feet, rated moderate. The full loop is listed at 4.8 miles with 856 feet of climbing, over dirt singletrack with views from all three hilltops. The full loop climbs more than twice as much as the Chapel loop over twice the distance, so plan a longer outing for it.
Saddle Ridge is the one trail with an open question. Hikers posting on the AllTrails Ogilvie and Hogg Hill page in early February 2026 reported damage from the January ice storm. One review from Feb. 14 said every trail was open except Saddle Ridge, which had a barrier and signs saying it was closed pending repair. Another hiker, out on Feb. 6, also found Saddle Ridge closed. On the open loops, though, trees brought down by the storm had already been cleared.
Later, the county put a ranger-led Saddle Ridge Hike on the October calendar for Oct. 17. It was billed as a 2.5-mile walk to "one of the park's most scenic vistas." That suggests the trail was reachable again by fall, but the county hasn't posted a formal reopening notice. Call the park at 615-368-2911 before heading out for that overlook.
October reviews of the full loop describe dry ground, wildflowers and well-kept trail.
Hours, Rules and the Weather Clause
Late fall comes with a few practical limits.
Hours. The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, it closes early at 4 p.m. That's the same morning as one of the toddler programs, so the early close won't affect a 9 a.m. visit. The county's September 2024 brochure listed shorter November-to-February hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., so call ahead before planning a late-afternoon walk.
Weather. Peacock Hill is day-use only. The county says it may close for rain, freezing temperatures, snow or ice, and it posts closures on its inclement weather page. A November morning that dips below freezing is worth checking before you drive over.
Dogs, bikes and horses. The county's Peacock Hill brochure says all pets must be on a physical leash at all times, with waste disposed of in the receptacles provided. No vehicles of any kind are allowed on the trails, and the brochure specifically includes bicycles and horses.
Amenities. Besides the visitor center and its displays, the park has restrooms, several overlooks, picnic areas and seating areas with chairs.
New Since September: Two All-Terrain Wheelchairs
The newest addition widens who can reach the hilltops. In September, Williamson Source reported that Williamson County Parks & Recreation had added two all-terrain wheelchairs at Peacock Hill. They were bought with donations and grants and are free to use. Staff got the idea after seeing similar chairs at several Tennessee State Parks. Michael Culbreth, the department's Nature Parks and Trails Coordinator, told Williamson Source, "This is going to be a game changer for Peacock Hill, and eventually all our nature parks."
The county's all-terrain wheelchair page explains how it works. You can reserve up to 30 days ahead, sign a waiver, and use the chairs on designated trails, subject to staff judgment about conditions. Not every trail is wheelchair-accessible. The same page lists winter reservation hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., which is shorter than the park's posted day. If you're bringing a relative for the Day After Thanksgiving Hike or a cabin program, book the chair and confirm the time window when you reserve.
Taken together, that's a 19th-century cabin, a farmhouse visitor center, an inn family's chapel and a ranger on the calendar most weeks of the month. Our team at The Phillips Group lives and works across Williamson County, and we keep track of places like Peacock Hill because they're part of everyday life in College Grove. If you'd like suggestions for other quiet corners south of Franklin, or want to talk through what's changing nearby, reach out anytime. When you're ready, we'd be glad to help you Start Your Home Search.
